Best of IFA 2012

A 4K TV, a waterproof iPad case and a camera that you don't have to handle with care

A 4K TV, a waterproof iPad case and a camera that you don't have to handle with care.

Although Germans are known for their surgical precision when it comes to automobile engineering, their consumer electronic brands haven’t really set the gadget world on fire. But that doesn’t stop beautiful Berlin from hosting the largest gathering of gadget heads this side of the Atlantic, known simply as IFA. Don’t try getting into the semantics of the synonym since it is a horrific German tongue twister – which the locals have trouble pronouncing too. So amongst the gazillion toys vying for our attention at the show, these were the ones that stole the show.

If you had trouble holding the monstrous 5.3-inch Note, you’d be glad to know that the Note 2 has been beefed up to an even more obscene 5.5 inches! Thankfully, its innards have been working out too. The processor is now a 1.6 GHz quad-core unit and the 3,100 mAH battery promises to last beyond a few doodles with the S-Pen. The rubberized tip of the S-Pen now emulates the feeling of writing on paper and Samsung has also included more apps that can utilize this handy utility tool.

HP Envy X2

Fighting hard to shake off its lacklustre PC image, HP showcased a sexy new hybrid concept that mates a perfectly up-to-date 11-inch tablet with a proper full-size keyboard to make for a gadget that both enthusiasts and workaholics can lust after. Sporting cutting-edge features like an ultra-bright screen, stylus for doodling, NFC for wireless transmission and an 8 MP rear camera, it ticks all the right boxes. The inbuilt 64 GB storage might fall short for some, but its array of USB ports, an HDMI output and a SD card slot should compensate.

Lenovo IdeaPad S400

Aiming for higher ground than its traditional corporate clientele, Lenovo’s latest ultrabook is less than 1 inch thick, and with its soft touch tactile metal finish, just begs for you to pick it up. Available in crimson red or silver grey, the S400 goes beyond good looks and portability. An intelligent touchpad and AccuType keyboard lure the no-nonsense workman, while the Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) technology allows for a sneak peek into the future with transmitting your videos and movies from the laptop to a compatible television wirelessly. If you like detailed specifications though, you may have to wait until Lenovo gives us a closer look at their new flagship product.

Samsung ATIV Tab

Samsung, one of the true heavyweights at every IFA, presented the ATIV – their first Windows RT tab. Sporting a 10-inch screen and a smart, dark-grey bezel, it emulates the aesthetics of the Note Tab that was recently launched in India. With Windows RT, you get the benefits of the Xbox games store as well as the MS Videos store that can get you some cool videos to really work that HD screen. If you’d like to make your own home videos, then the 5 MP camera should suffice but we’ll only really know once Samsung India sends us a review sample. Are you listening, Samsung?

Samsung Galaxy Camera

It was inevitable, especially after the Nokia PureView 808, which for the record was more of a camera with the features of a phone! Samsung’s Galaxy Camera carries forward the now-legendary Galaxy brand to the optical world with a 21x zoom lens, 16 MP sensor, 4.3-inch screen and a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor running nothing less than Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It will let you share pictures via WiFi or 3G through dedicated apps on the Google Play Store, or you could use Samsung’s Share Shot feature to beam images in real-time to eight other devices in the vicinity. Yes, we know it. You want one. Now.

Sony HDR-AS15 wearable camera

Mountain biking, rock climbing or go-karting, whatever your poison, Sony has you covered when it comes to crystallizing your memories of drops, falls or slides. The HDR-AS15 is capable of 1080p Full HD video and can capture panoramas spanning 170 degrees. You will need to use Sony’s Android or iOS app to toggle through controls once the camera is housed in its safety cage though, so don’t jump in without a waterproof phone.

Lifeproof Nuud iPad case

Now this is an indulgent and guilty pleasure we all have dreamed of. Lifeproof has somehow gauged what we want and launched the Nuud waterproof iPad case. Designed to survive a 6.6-foot (precisely) dunk underwater or a 4-foot high drop on solid land, think of it as a bubble shield for your tap toy. Cleverly, it works around the capacitive touchscreen so you can have a multiplayer Ludo session even while underwater.

Sony 4K TV

After years of pursuing active 3D glasses, Sony finally conceited defeat to the passive version of the technology for the sake of comfort and convenience. They’re lighter and don’t require batteries – duh. But that wasn’t their big pitch anyway. It was a rather mouth-watering 4K television that is capable of a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, essentially doubling what you’re currently watching on your fancy Full-HD TV at home. To retail for close to Rs 20 lakhs when it launches in October, it is as state-of-the-art as modern TV technology can get. Let’s just hope that you have movies to watch on it soon too.

Sony Vaio Duo 11

Hybrids and Windows 8 seems to be a match made in heaven and Sony is one of the early ones to jump on the bandwagon. With the Duo 11, it has an 11-inch screen that boasts of a Full HD resolution and detachable screen that is as light as it is portable.